Natalie Hawks
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New to kit design and need help!!
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I am very interested in doing the kit design, but really don't understand where to find elements, backgrounds, and pics to use. Do you have any information that could help me get a better handle on it? I don't have a website or design software, but would be open to purchasing some software. Do you have any info that might help me get going? Thanks
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1/27/2010 4:56:27 AM
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Alana
TotalPost:2347
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RE:New to kit design and need help!!
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I'm not the BEST person to respond to this, as I haven't uploaded any of my own kits. But since I did answer your PM, I thought I would share here in case anybody else was interested in the info. First, software, I would hands down recommend Photoshop. You do not need the full blown version, Photoshop Elements (PSE) will suit you just fine. There is a free 30 day trial version you can download from the manufacturer's site
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop_elements&promoid=DZHDI
www.adobe.com will show you all the other graphics programs and tell you more PSE. The software costs about $70 and there is a scrapbook version for about $90. If you have a Costco membership you can usually find it for about $10 off.
There are a few ways to create elements/backgrounds/frames etc. You can create them from scratch using the image techniques in Photoshop, or drawing in another graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator (AI). You can take photographs yourself and use techniques in Photoshop to remove everything around the object, or use filters and effects to create backgrounds. Or, for a portion of your kits you may purchase and rarely download for free kits from other designers that explicitly give permission for you to manipulate and use in your own kits. You need to be very careful to read the Terms of Use (TOU) for these kits and give proper credit to the original designer. With these kits, you can also use the filters and effects in Photoshop to make them your own within the guidelines of the TOU.
There are several websites which give you step by step instructions for learning how to use Photoshop as well as how to create your own elements. Google is your best friend for finding these sites. For example, you might search "photoshop make a bow element" or if you are trying to learn about a particular tool, search for photoshop and that tool name.
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1/27/2010 6:25:20 AM
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Albums to Remember
TotalPost:217
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RE:New to kit design and need help!!
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As Alana said photoshop is a good option to get started in design. I use Photoshop CS3 but started out in Elements which is cheaper. For elements you can create your own by putting different shapes together, adding colors, styles, etc. or doing all the things Alana talked about. Be sure to read and understand Terms-of-use if you are using commercial use items from CU designers. Like she said there are tutorials online.
The best place to start is by getting a design program and learning it. There are online design classes. I think they start around $50-$100. Depends how much you want to invest. It's fun but it takes A LOT of time. I am not trying to discourage you, just want you to know that designing kits take major time.
I am not fast by any means but one kit usually takes me anywhere between 15-30 hours, really big kits take me more. There are designers out there who are faster, but if you are learning a new program expect to take at least that long. Once items are made you will want to check them for quality. Are there jagged edges, stray pixel, etc. Then you will want to package it up, load it up here, add a title and description, make sure the photos fit into the frames. Usually this takes me about 1-4 hours depending on kit size and how may quick pages I make (waiting for files to upload and getting frames to fit, create pages, etc).
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1/27/2010 12:12:11 PM
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Susan Kuhic
TotalPost:15
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RE:New to kit design and need help!!
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I believe that a kit design that makes it easier for new players to understand is better than one that may look pretty but difficult to use. Also, because there are so many kits out there, it's hard for players who only have limited knowledge of the game to find one that suits their needs. You can download best graphic templates from this  masterbundles source.However, even though there may be different kits, they all have similar features such as cards and board pieces and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
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12/15/2022 3:47:59 PM
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